Caña Rum Bar (Los Angeles) from 8 Great Rum Bars Slideshow

8 Great Rum Bars Slideshow

Caña Rum Bar (Los Angeles)

Exclusivity is the name of the game when it comes to bars in Los Angeles, and Caña Rum Bar is no exception. For $20 you can become a member of this rum club, allowing you access to their thoughtfully curated rum selection, which ranges from rich añejos to sweet blancos. The cocktail list here is very eclectic, featuring drinks with ingredients like white peppercorns and tamarind curacao. Once you're "in," it's an easy place to spend the night exploring the wild and exotic world of rum, and the innovative cocktails built around it.

Yelp/Vivian L.

Roneria Caracas (New York City)

Roneria is Spanish for rum bar, and at Caracas, they live up to the title. This Brooklyn offshoot of the popular Venezuelan restaurant called upon Apotheke's Orson Salicetti to create the extensive rum list (more than 30 premium varieties) and signature drinks. The cocktail menu alone is enough to rave about, with creations link absinthe-laced mojitos and Manhattans featuring smoky aejo rum instead of whiskey. The cocktails are the secondary focus here, though, with the rums themselves being the true stars of the show.

Yelp/Matt M.

The Rum Bar at The Breadfruit (Pheonix)

Attached to one of the city's best Jamaican restaurants, this bar offers more than 100 different varieties of rum and a cocktail list of that ranges from the classic (take the Hemingway Daquiri, for example) to the inventive (try the Spicy Rumtini, a mix of vermouth, lime juice, basil, scotch bonnet pepper, and rum).

Yelp/Antonio C.

Cuba Libre (Washington, D.C.)

The comprehensive cocktail list at this luxe bar includes an impressive selection of tropical cocktails, hurricanes, and mai tais, but it's the bevy of mojitos that are truly not to be missed. Along with its huge rum collection, the spot also features cachaça and pisco, two other spirits essential to a good night in Cuba. Be sure to enjoy a little bit of everything so you can keep up pace when its your turn to Samba.

Yelp/Monica M.

La Descarga (Los Angeles)

A brilliant list of rare and artisan rums is the focus at this LA-area bar, which has been described by co-owner Mark Houston as "baroque, rustic, and deteriorating." The vibe here is anything but stuffy, with the owners making it a mission to exclude all the traditional artisan-cocktail-bar snootiness. But Houston does want to make something perfectly clear: "This is not a tiki bar." This, folks, is a rum bar.

Yelp/Cintya P.

Rhumbar (Las Vegas)

While the crowd at this posh, South Beach-inspired spot can lean towards the clubbing scene (this is Vegas, after all), there is nevertheless a little something for everybody here. Spend the night dancing with a perfect mojito in hand, or enjoy a glass of smoky añejo on the patio with a cigar. (That’s right, the bar serves up cigars to go with the boutique rum.)

Yelp/Rachel C.

Cienfuegos (New York City)

This East Village hidden gem, opened by the same team behind Death & Co and Mayahuel, is like a glorious rum-hallucination spun from old Cuba in the swingin' '60s. A visit to this rum-devoted bar would be incomplete without sampling one of its famous punches, or if you're looking for a real rum trip, opt for a special three-spirit flight.

Yelp/Mai W.

Smuggler's Cove (San Francisco)

If you're having trouble navigating through the more than 200 rums at this pirate-themed bar, try asking someone in a fez for help. See, the fezzes are given out as a special initiation for members of the Rumbustion Society, a group in the bar that earns points (and visits to a secret vault of rare rums) by tasting through the expansive selection. Of course, if there isn't one in sight, you can't go wrong by sticking to the menu, where you'll find Prohibition-era cocktails and Caribbean concoctions.